The continued usage of business e-learning courses in Hong Kong corporations

Other research has investigated aspects of e-learning, e.g., comparing the effectiveness of e-learning with traditional classroom training and gauging the success of IT or computer skills training. This study focused on how to ensure that individuals continue their usage of business and management e-learning courses for self-development in Hong Kong corporations. This paper reports the development and testing of a theoretical model for continued usage. The proposed model was calibrated with a sample of 212 cases from five corporations in Hong Kong, and was subsequently validated with 15 questionnaires from a small e-commerce company of 50 staff. The data supported the model and the model had a moderate explanatory power (R 2∈=∈37%) for continued usage. The structural model was not affected by different collection periods (first collection batch vs. last collection batch), sample (calibration vs. validation), gender (male vs. female), position (manager vs. nonmanager), or computer usage experience (10 years or more vs. less than 10 years). However, the model was different for groups of different ages (aged 36 and above vs. below 36) and educational levels (university graduates vs. nongraduates). Further research and the business implications for improving the continued usage of business e-learning courses are discussed. © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.